When was the last time you saw a group of residents wildly cheering about being taxed?

It happened Tuesday night as nearly 100 residents from south Fulton County packed the Coweta County Commission chamber and cheered lustily about having a special tax district created for them in case they are annexed into Coweta County.

During a lengthy discussion of annexing nearly 17,000 acres into the county, the commissioners wondered about creating a fire tax district to help pay for services the new residents would need.

The residents are already paying a fire tax in Fulton County and applauded loudly in favor of a tax district in Coweta County.

“Do whatever you have to do. We just want to be in Coweta County,” said Bill Creel, who represented many of the disgruntled Fulton residents.

The Fulton County and Coweta County grand juries have voted to allow the residents to join the county. The final step is up to the commissioners, who reiterated they won't vote on the issue until they have received all the facts and figures about the annexation.

Creel said the 400 residents would bring a tax base of nearly $55 million and some of the “prettiest land around” into the county.

One of the overriding concerns of many of the commissioners is water. Many residents in Coweta County have not been connected to the water system yet, and Commission Chairman Vernon “Mutt” Hunter wants it made clear that Fulton residents would be at the back of the line.

“We've been in Fulton County for 62 years and never demanded water, so I don't think that's a problem,” Creel said.

John Folsom, who also represented the homeowners, said it is a simple question to resolve.

“We just want to return the land that was Coweta County's until 1875,” he said.

The commission members said they plan a comprehensive study of the issue before any decision is reached.

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